Valleyview Friends Church: Recent Episodes
Valleyview Friends Church
In our text today, Paul calls the Christian to put off the old and put on the new and he gives 5 concrete examples of what it looks like to live as a new creation in Christ.
One of the boldest prayers you can pray is to pray for other Christians, the Church, to be filled with Jesus.
Grace is God’s gift to us, paid for by Jesus, worked through us by the Holy Spirit. Grace redeems us and grace moves us forward with purpose. Grace binds us together in unity. Grace humbles us, grace blesses us. We need the gift of God’s grace.
As we reflect on 250 years as a nation it is good to remember God's call to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with God.
You are God’s workmanship, and through Christ you become a new creation, a masterpiece.
Prayer built on your relationship with God will be stronger than prayer built on your desires, needs and worries.
To grow and mature as a Christian and as a Church you need to know who you are in Christ.
Following Jesus is not easy, but Jesus equips every Christian with everything they need to follow Him and carry out his great commission.
When you trust Jesus he will satisfy your thirst and open the way to the Holy Spirit in your life.
Where you live matters. The way you live with relationships, the thoughts you let reside in your minds, all the stuff you fill up your life with has consequences. Psalm 1 tells us that it is best to live near God.
The Christian is to live a holy life as a witness, to show others the life they are really meant for and who they really are before God.
Spiritual maturity is God’s desire for you, as you grow you are more able to serve God’s kingdom, but refusal to grow drains the resources of the body of Christ instead of strengthening it.
Beware of thieves and hired hands, they look harmless but are deadly, they cannot give the true life that Jesus gives.
Encountering and putting your faith in the risen Jesus Christ is the difference between a fearful life that is stuck, uncertain and drifting and a life full of Peace, purpose, and power.
Easter is the proof that God’s love for you is more that just a feeling or words, God’s Love for you is real, perfect, powerful, redemptive and personal.
The atonement of Jesus for your sins is available to you when you believe in him and when you confess your sin and that Jesus is Lord.
Forgiveness is essential to peacemaking and essential to life. Without forgiveness the past becomes your master and bitterness will eat away your life.
Peacemaking does not begin horizontally with those around us, instead peacemaking begins vertically between ourselves and God, your heart is where peacemaking starts.
Christian you are called to wear the uniform of Christ, to testify Christ, to grow in Christ and to glorify Christ. Fortunately it is not up to you to make the uniform fit, Christ makes it fit with his perfect love, his peace ruling, his message dwelling and that we do it all in the Name of Christ.
Being in Christ is what matters so be on guard from whatever tries to pull you away from Christ.
You will find satisfaction only in Jesus, You are to keep your heart and mind set on Jesus because then you will be reminded of who you are in Jesus, you will be reminded you are hidden with Jesus and your life will will be transformed by Jesus.
You are invited to receive the promise of the house of the Lord forever and make it your testimony.
You are invited to know the Lord, to trust the Lord and depend upon him, it is only by trusting in him that we can navigate the darkest valleys of life and find the peace we need.
Most of us can see that we need to grow and improve, but our vision of what needs to change in our lives is far smaller and less marvelous than the transformation of holiness that God wants to bring about in you.
We live in a dark world, and need the light of Christ who is our Savior named; Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.
Each of us must ask of ourselves, “God has come to meet with me am I willing to draw near to God, to take a step on my part to meet with Jesus?
If you follow Jesus You posses the greatest blessings a person can have, but sometimes those blessings are not immediately apparent, sometimes you look for different blessings and outcomes, but they are blessings “for your good, to build you up.”
The return of Jesus draws near, so the Christian is to live, awake, alert and holy lives.
Don’t over look the waiting. Waiting is useful. It’s a time for growing. For the Christian is a time for renewing and reshaping. God uses the time of waiting to do necessary shaping.
Christian waiting is not easy but it is hope-filled anticipation built on God’s promises.
Fortunately Jesus makes the first move he invites you to see, specifically to see him and have faith in him. Jesus offers restoration to you.
November 9. 2025 - What do you want to see? - John 9:13-24 by Valleyview Friends Church
November 2, 2025 - What does it take to see? - John 9-1-12 by Valleyview Friends Church
The ministry of faith is a proclamation to the non-Christian.The ministry of faith is encouragement to the believer.The ministry of faith is a mission that cannot be stopped. The ministry of faith, transforms struggle and tragedy into worship and rejoicing. The ministry of faith can be accomplished by every Christian.
If you expect the Bible, the word of God to conform to the shape of your convictions you cannot live a Scripture soaked life, you cannot really live at all.
You are called to guard your faith so that you can victoriously overcome the challenges of this world and celebrate eternity with Christ.
October 5, 2025 - Animal Theology - Various Scripture Passages by Valleyview Friends Church
Sin has real consequences that endanger your eternity and impact your quality of life right now, but God has also supplied the great hope of Jesus Christ.
You cannot fix sin, yours or anyone else’s, your attempts will only make it worse, God alone can handle your sin and atone for your sin.
God’s provision is good, gracious, complete, freeing, fulfilling, life-giving and it is for you to enjoy, to trust and to take care of.
It is critical to know every person is made in the image of God. Here are 7 proclamations the Image of God makes.
Genesis 1 introduces us to our God; the uncreated Creator, God eternal and his providence sustains creation itself his plan and presence produces blessing in our lives. But there is a problem, a thread that runs through the human race that tries to diminish or even erase God. Every time you make God less; you dishonor him, you diminish yourself and open your life to disorder and disruption. When you invite God into your life and give him the honor and glory due to him, you open yourself up to God’s power at work in your life.
If you are a Christian, you have the promise of Jesus’ unshakable kingdom and you are called to respond with thanksgiving and worship.
You are called to a mission of prayer for the Church, its workers and those we are trying to reach with the Gospel.
If you desire to approach God, take seriously God’s desires for you to live a holy life with obedience, integrity and truth.
Its more important to be a neighbor than to know who your neighbor is. When we declare I am your neighbor, it takes out all the guess work over whether a person you encounter is your neighbor.
If you want to run the race of faith well you must shed everything that slows you down, persevere on the journey no matter what, and above all fix your eyes on Jesus.
The Christian is to walk by the Spirit, letting the Holy Spirit lead, guiding in truth, empowering your life and producing maturity in you.
The Holy Spirit lives in the life of every Christian; helping, equipping, empowering and transforming them.
The Holy Spirit is not a force, He is God and he is personal and he wants you to know him.
To receive the best of life we must be willing to hear, receive and obey when Jesus commands us to “get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
Jesus is King, when you receive him as Savior you are called to a transformed life, to become Christlike. You cannot simply decide to act like Jesus, in addition to your desire to be like Jesus you must let the Holy Spirit work in your life.
God celebrates truth, he celebrates life, he celebrates the restoration of his children, he celebrates the renewed relationship between us and him, and he invites you to celebrate with him.
God outrageously loves you, he is seeking you, he desires for your repentance and wants to wildly celebrate your return to him.
Easter is about the Lord Jesus Conquering death and redeeming us and you can hear in this text the first transformations, of sorrow and death to joy and the mission of proclaiming the risen Christ.
The decision you make about who Jesus is matters; declaring Jesus your king grants entrance into the kingdom of heaven but it also affects your present moment. If you proclaim Jesus as your king, you also have the ability to praise, rejoice and hope in the face of any circumstances.
Aim relentlessly at the goal of Christ, anything less will cause you to come up short in life.
Take heart that you can be a new creation in Christ, but also take hold of the truth that you really are a new creation in Christ.
You are invited to God’s everlasting feast, don’t miss out, experience and enjoy his invitation.
Perhaps you feel like a prisoner to decisions you have made, sins you committed or the actions of others done to you. You too can have the hope of Christ and transformation in your life.
What are we to make of judging? Jesus tells you and me, do not judge. Jesus tells us that the best way to help someone else out of their sin is to face our own sin first. In warning against judging Jesus is warning against damaging our relationships with one another, the very relationships that should be pointing one another to the redemptive power of Jesus.
Today I want to take a few moments and talk about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
The Treasure of Heaven is valuable, it changes the course of your life and your behaviors, and it testifies to your worth to God
Psalm 34 invites you to live out verse 8; “Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
In Psalm 51 we read a masterclass on how to get right with God. David is heartfelt, honest, direct, he wholeheartedly confesses his sin and that God alone has the authority to forgive and restore him. There is a road map within the Psalm for each and every one of us to receive redemption. The psalm describes; Facing sin, relying on God’s mercy, and responding to that mercy with testimony.
God is the owner of your world and he is King. The decision is for you to believe and let him into your life.
Resounding through out the Lord’s prayer is a call for us to put our own priorities aside and depend less on ourselves. The Lord’s prayer invites us to make God’s priorities our own and to depend upon him.
Be careful, the more you take charge the more you will limit the authority of God over your life.
You are invited to trade fear for great joy for God’s good news to you is that Jesus is the Savior, the Messiah and the Lord.
God’s promises reveal his very nature to us; That he is gracious, protective, he desires good for his people, that God delights over you and he desires to actively work restoration in your life.
God is a master craftsman. He desires to enter into your life to refine and purify you.
Advent shows how good and trustworthy God’s promises are by reminding us that God fulfilled his greatest promise, sending Jesus our Savior. You and I can trust God’s promises and know they are good for us.
Jesus is King and because he is King, you should respond to him with worship, obedience and holiness.
This week I want to return us to thinking about Heaven. I want to share God’s promise of Heaven from the final chapter of the Bible. What we find is that heaven is a place of life, a place with God and a place where we will good, rewarding, holy work to do.
Ignoring the check engine light was not going to make the problem better, in fact it will make things much worse. When the Bible mentions hell, we are seeing a check engine light. It's a warning. Don’t ignore the problem, if you do things will get a lot worse.
When it comes to heave and Hell the Bible is clear about a lot, but it also leave you and I uncertain about some of the details. It's ok to have uncertainties and want answers but I also want to invite you to grab onto what is clear about heaven and hell. What God shares about Heaven and Hell is important for the growth of your faith.
Life changing faith relentlessly pursues of God, appeals to the authority of Jesus, is built on mercy, desires spiritual restoration and results in true discipleship.
The Church worldwide is called to unity. A bond of togetherness with purpose. Not only does God call the church worldwide to unity, but he calls each congregation together in unity.
You and I need to follow Jesus with childlike faith that exhibits trust, dependence, curiosity, wonder and respect for the authority of God.
Living with faith in Jesus, Living under the lordship of Jesus will fill you with wonder, hope, freedom, life, power and possibility.
God both warns you and encourages you of how you use words, respect their power, use them to bless others and be wary of the destructive power of your words.
Real peace comes from Jesus Christ alone, Jesus' is a gift and can carry you through any hardship you will face.
Receiving Jesus’ invitation to come to him will bring you relief from whatever burdens you and wears on your soul.
Hearing from God is something most people both want and struggle with. How do you hear the voice of God? How can you be certain?
Obedience to the Lord is the natural response of the believer and essential for spiritual revival and renewal.
As we return to Elijah’s story we are at a very important moment. Elijah has challenged Israel to choose whether they will follow Baal or the LORD. I contend that two recipes for life are presented; the prophets of Baal present their recipe of performance, manipulation and transaction for spiritual life, which never works, and Elijah presents a different recipe; of honoring God, speaking truth, humility, transparency and concern for redemption.
If you want revival and renewal in your life, you will have to choose, choose the Lord, and when you choose you will have to be ready to face the pressure of the crowd.
The best way to conquer fear is to draw near to the Lord because trusting God is the antidote to fear.
Over the next several weeks I want to explore with you themes in Elijah story that lead to spiritual breakthrough and renewal. Six themes I want to explore are these: Facing Sin, Facing fear, Facing the Crowd, Facing power, Facing success, Facing failure and finally Facing God.
Jesus does not just want to share dinner with you, he has in mind a redemptive wedding banquet that erases the debt of sin and blesses you with abundant life.
Dinner with Jesus is an opportunity you don’t want to miss, Jesus wants to welcome you, restore you to God’s family and bring salvation to your home.
Despite our very real struggles, trials and persecutions God breathes life into us. As the text says for the Christian though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
The Sabbath is God’s Gift to you and me, it is not meant to be a burden, a demanding obligation, Sabbath remembrance should result in joy.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and he has declared that the Sabbath is for you, it is a gift, a blessing and a help, and you and I are invited through the Sabbath to enter God’s timing, plan and rest.
Sabbath cannot save you, but Sabbath is a precious gift from God that rejuvenates and restores us and draws us into a deeper relationship with Him.
1 John 5:1-5 asks each Christian to root themselves in three actions as they navigate conflict, hardship and uncertainty. These three actions are faith in Christ, love for the Father and Obedience to God’s Commands.
The Church is God’s temple, it is the place where he lives, it must be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, we are called to build it with care and then we enjoy the blessing and responsibility of being the Holy house of God.
You are invited to the church, Christ’s body, and as the Body we follow Christ’s call receiving; purpose, meaning and ethics.
The Church is God’s people; chosen, a royal priesthood, holy nation, special possession; all this is a wonderful privilege and serious responsibility.
Encountering and putting your faith in the risen Jesus Christ is the difference between a fearful life that is stuck, uncertain and drifting and a life full of Peace, purpose, and power.
Believe in the risen Christ, he is the source of eternal life and hold firmly to him as your hope in all circumstances.
Honor Jesus, just as this unnamed woman did, with courage, humility and extravagance proclaiming the Lordship of King Jesus to all.
Its time to hide no more, instead step in the light of Jesus, look to his cross and let him work redemption in you.
God’s temple was a place of worship and sacrifice, Jesus wants us to take this seriously, knowing that He replaces the temple and that as Christians we each now act as little temples for God.
Today we are looking at what Jesus says it means to follow him as a disciple. Unlike social media, following Jesus has a cost, but following Jesus is also the most dramatic change you can bring into your life.
Jesus’ call to repentance asks us to face the truth about our sin, to confess our sin seeking forgiveness and to step in faith into a renewed life with God.
Make sure the race you are running is for a lasting, eternal prize and that you train and discipline yourself so that you are not disqualified for the prize.
Paul knows the core values of the Christian faith, he knows the standard that Christ calls him to live up too, he also knows the mission of the Church which is to share the Good News of Jesus to the whole world and make more disciples.
Submitting to the authority of Jesus is where you will find freedom and spiritual breakthrough in your life. The question is whether you will allow or resist Jesus and his authority over you.
Jesus shows us how to resist temptation by letting God be the foundation of defense against temptation, the temptation in the wilderness also shows us that Jesus is the solution to sin.
Today I want to ask you to put aside your greeting card memories of the wisemen in the Christmas story and hear in their story that in Jesus kingdom there is a place for everyone, even the most unlikely of people, the wisemen teach us a lesson in worship, that is - dangerous, sacrificial and regal. We need to learn to worship like these wisemen.
Jesus was born in a manger out of love for you, the question is how will you respond to Jesus.
Joy is for you, Joy is far richer and deeper than any of us know, it is both the gift of God and cultivated by our response our to God and so you and I are invited this advent season to step into the Joy of the Lord.
The good news is that Jesus is King, a perfect king in a world of conflict and strife, Jesus offers real salvation that opens eternity but he also provides wholeness for right now, in other words peace. You and I can learn a lot from John the Baptist’s call and Israel’s response, They react to God and Jesus by returning, repenting, recommitting to the gospel call.
You will only find satisfaction and truth, when you are able to answer the question yourself, who is king Jesus? Jesus is King, Jesus is my king.
Trust that Jesus is good and knows what he is doing when he entrusts you with the treasure of his kingdom, if you will believe this it will make all the difference in your life.
Discipleship requires preparation that leads to readiness to encounter Christ and anticipation of celebrating his arrival.
When you trust in Jesus he gives grace and freedom, your response is servanthood helping others with their burdens and to constantly pointing to the glory of God.
Where you live matters. The way you live with relationships, the thoughts you let reside in your minds, all the stuff you fill up your life with has consequences.
You cannot give your best to anyone, anything or even yourself until you first give God his due.
God offers an invitation to all to enjoy and celebrate death defeated, you can receive that invitation by trusting in the redemptive power of Jesus.
Jesus tells of God’s love for each of us and patience with us and how Jesus has come to give his life for your redemption, but if we are not careful we will miss out on his gift.
Repentance is a change of mind and direction away from your sin towards God and it is critical for igniting obedience.
Gratitude makes all the difference, a lack of gratitude closes you off from the blessings of God and the best relationships in life, embracing gratitude opens the doorway to really receiving the good that God intends for you.
Christ’s Church is called to unity, holiness and mission and you can only fulfill this calling when you do everything “for the Lord.”
Urgency makes the difference. You must wake up if you want to love your neighbor rightly, if you want victory pulling sin off and putting on Jesus.
Simply put Jesus says clearly that it is vital that you listen to his words and do what he says. This makes the difference in life and eternity.
There are two roads; one leading to life as it is meant to be, the other to misery and destruction. Stay on the narrow way and be wary of those who try to lead you off the right path.
Judgement does not change unrighteousness, but restoration is found in persistence in your own spiritual health, prayer, and communicating that you want the best for others.
You will find satisfaction in your life only when you seek first the kingdom of God. Every time you put something else first you are asking for heartache.
Jesus’ prayer asks to us exercise our knowledge of God, our faith in God and place his as the top priority of life. Resounding through out the Lord’s prayer is a call for us to to put our own priorities aside and depend less on ourselves.
Real life and faith can be yours when you humble seek Jesus and put aside the desire for approval from all others.
To sum up the great evangelical commentator John Stott, “At some point the Christian will have to live out these words more literally than they would like to a higher cost than they would like to pay.”
Jesus is asking us to be salt and light with authenticity in our living, honesty in our testimony, frankness in our worship and intentionality in our holiness.
Big Idea: The beatitudes are Jesus’ way of saying that door to God’s kingdom is open to all, that what we value is often very different from what God values, they tell us of the deep satisfaction God offers to each of us and they call us to a holy life.
God gives us a prescription for the peace of God in our lives: Rejoice in the future promises as good as they are, and rejoice in our present circumstances however difficult they may be.
Ruth 4 calls each of us to act as redeemers in our lives, families and communities seeking to break the cycles of the past and to trust in the future God has for us. Big Idea: You and I are called by God to receive and join his plan to break cycles of sin, build the kingdom and live so that generations are blessed by your choices.
One of the holiest decisions you make is to walk the way of honoring God when everyone else says that way is foolish.
Devotion says never give up. In the our case it says never give up on God and who he says you are.
Your decisions are holy and have the power to welcome the hand of God or the hardship of sin into your world.
The Christian is called to live in a way that all their thoughts and actions are pleasing to the Lord.
Easter invites you to see the risen Jesus and join his kingdom. As I read the scripture text for today I want you to pay particular attention to all the seeing that happens. You will hear in particular two words, look and see. On Easter morning people were looking for the crucified Jesus but they get the opportunity see the risen Jesus, now they must decide what to believe and what to do.
The story of the triumphal entry asks us to put aside our demands and expectations of Jesus and asks us to see and receive Jesus for the King and Savior he is.
Your greatest calling is to love one another with the love of Jesus that is sacrificial and redemptive.
You must be wary of guilt and shame, more than any emotion they have the power to drive you away from God and the people you love, but they also can alert you to the need to repair your relationship before its too late.
Biblical grief draws you into the presence of God and invites you to depend upon God. Biblical grief opens your eyes to the good gifts of God. Biblical grief does not ask you to forget those you love, but Biblical grief gives you a way forward, to live, to be blessed even after loss.
When it comes to anger You have a choice: Let your anger be a destructive force bringing out the worst in you, or strive for godly anger that is born out of love seeking the best for others by rescuing, protecting and building them up.
Fear is a terrible master that robs your life, however fear is meant to point you to God and deepen your faith.
If you want to taste forgiveness and the life it brings you need to submit to Jesus. God calls you to put off your old self, to renew your mind and then to put on Christ. Only then can you be a person marked by forgiveness. A person who is renewed by both receiving and giving forgiveness.
Barriers to forgiveness choke relationships and threaten the joy of life. These barriers must be addressed directly, judiciously and without delay. The good news is many of these barriers are in your control, the bad news is that some of them can only be addressed by the other and the best news is that God has handled the barriers that are impossible for you and me.
Real forgiveness is biblical, cross shaped, it identifies the truth of the matter, views the wrong doer with empathy, cancels the debt and seeks reconciliation.
You need forgiveness, it is essential to life. Without forgiveness the past becomes your master, bitterness will devour your life, lastly outrage and revenge become your default.
The Christian is to live a holy life as a witness, to show others the life they are really meant for and who they really are before God.
The Christian, really everyone, should take seriously the business of holiness, it is our eternal vocation.
As we encounter what the Bible has to say about the holiness of God we should grow in our response to God, our awareness of our sin and our hunger for God.
I want to challenge you to think of holy in three dimensions this year: 1. Encountering a holy God. 2. Becoming holy. 3. Help others see the holy.
In the Christmas story, all kinds of people meet the baby Jesus. Each has a different background, a different reaction, a different approach to meeting Jesus. Quickly I want to mention 5 groups of people that meet Jesus after he is born. Each group has a different reaction to Jesus. Their encounters with Jesus should cause us to ask, “How do we respond to meeting Jesus?” Hopefully you can see a little of yourself in each of them.
The Christmas story tells us that Jesus came to earth to make room for you and me in God’s kingdom, and the Christmas story invites you and me to make room for Jesus in our lives.
Love is triumphant overpowering the past, overcoming the present and opening the future to victory.
Joy is not about simply smiling and feeling good, it's about knowing and receiving the promises of God. Knowing and receiving Jesus, Joy himself.
The peace of God is needed more than ever, his peace is more than the end of conflict but also the restoration of the whole person and creation.
You are invited to believe, take and eat the Bread of Life who gives eternal life that starts now and extends forever into heaven.
God is inviting you to join his kingdom, the promise of a glorious future and a kingdom filled life right now, a place beyond comprehension but not beyond reach.
I cannot tell you when the next struggle of life will arise or how long it will be. But the practice of testimony will help you remember what God has done in your life. Declaration will remind you of who God is and Hope holds out for a future with God’s redemption made complete.
Each of us face the opinions and judgements of others and ourselves all the time. This world has no shortage of opinions of your worth, ability and accomplishments, it is up to you and me to discern those voices. Which ones will you value and which ones will you ignore? Heeding the call of Jesus will bring life, meaning and wholeness into your life.
Perhaps hearing about God as the source of love you have been wondering how you can know if you are living and showing that sort of love instead of the counterfeit love that is so rampant in our world today. Living with Godly love is a byproduct of a deeper goal, a healthy relationship with God. We are made for and called to life with God, you and I are to abide in God and he is us.
Life that is good, healthy and whole comes from loving yourself and the people around you with a love that is rooted in God alone.
The confession of Jesus Christ is the key to your vitality and for discerning the competing voices that would lead you to God or toward lifelessness.
New Testament Declarations of Jesus: 1 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 16:16, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Philippians 2:6-11, Colossians 1:15-20
Being God’s Child is a treasure, a responsibility and it is something that the world cannot understand.
The Christian cannot give devotion to both the world and God, divided devotion cannot lead to eternal life or real love.
If you want to be certain that you are rightly following God and not fooling yourself, you need trailblazes for the journey. Three such guideposts are; obeying God’s commands, living as Jesus did and refusing to let hate set your course.
Over the next few weeks I want to walk with you through some select passages of 1 John. In particular I what you to pay attention to a simple phrase through 1 John “This is,” God uses these little words to show us important declarations of how we can know that we are following Jesus rightly and are healthy as his Church.
You and I need to be soaked in the scriptures. Not just a light sprinkle. Not just a quick rinse. But soaked deeply so that the word of God permeates our lives.
There is only one way to face the impossible, with mustard seed faith. You are called to live by mustard seed faith; a faith that is confident and located exclusively in the God of the Bible, his promises and his power.
It is a terrible thing when our actions do not match our faith. This week I want to share with you a passage from James 2:17-18. This passage makes it clear that faith must be connected to action, our deeds.
Trust is an essential element of faith. Over the next three weeks we are going to spend a little time looking at Faith, that element of belief that each Christian must exercise to receive salvation and live well.
There is something in David’s prayer life that you and I can learn from. Godly prayer consists of both seeking and waiting. Each must happen in their turn with confidence in God. When we do this we find confidence, strength and peace in our prayers.
Godly courage comes not by resolutely facing our troubles and fears but by resolutely facing into the power and goodness of God.
Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us that God calls his people to a better way, love and good deeds by God’s standard. We learn how to live out this higher calling by being the Church pushing and encouraging other to be more and more like Jesus.
If you want to“hold fast” to God’s hope; you need the Church, you need to stand unswervingly on your profession of faith and you need keep a wary eye towards that which would loosen your grip on God’s promise.
If we are honest about this scripture, you and I will find that those three commands require us to be right in the middle of justice, kindness and humility but perhaps more critically the Bible tells us that we can only have real Justice, kindness and humility when God joins us in these commands.
There are all kinds of Bible verses that talk about what Christians are to wear. No, not telling us to wear suits to church or to avoid other garments, but to get spiritually dressed.
Kindness is evaporating out of our culture. We are more divided than ever, we are more stressed than ever; you and I need peace, safety, flourishing life, we need beauty instead of ugly bitterness.
Biblical kindness is the doorway out of the distrust, division and cruelty of our times.
Be the best version of you, loved by God, redeemed by Christ, we do this by setting our minds on the things above and knowing who we are in Christ and that Christ is our life.
Today I want you to know that you can have life that is full and satisfying, it comes from grabbing ahold of Jesus and your belief in him. Let's look together at the story of Thomas, a disciple in crisis. He cannot comprehend the death of Jesus, let alone the resurrection of Jesus. Thomas may doubt but he faces those doubts down resulting in a mighty faith.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ should fill us with a holy fear of God, It should fill us with hope for the future and it should fill us with confidence in the task that God has set before in proclaiming Christ.
We can learn a lot from Bartimaeus about how to seize the moment and the blessing of God. Bartimaeus does not miss his moment, he is relentless in pursuit, appeals to true authority, knows his need for mercy, desires restoration and responds with discipleship loyalty.
Children are wonderful, they approach life with wonder, endless curiosity and a frankness that can be quite refreshing. Its no wonder that Jesus asks us to be like children when it comes to the kingdom of God.
Life is challenging, uncertain and even unfair, yet Jesus calls us to face into these struggles empowered by his glory. Much like those around Jesus we can choose to respond to the glory of Jesus by doubting it, trying to control it or by listening to him.
This story has for us this: Only when you stand under the authority and mercy of Jesus can you find forgiveness, restoration and peace.
To experience the joyous life you must relinquish your old ways and let Jesus make you new.
The gospel of Mark is challenging us to see ourselves as unworthy but wanted by God, to see God not as distant but searching for us and we are warned not to be like the Pharisees unwilling to see our need and chasing people away from Jesus.
Today we look at a passage of Scripture where faith is on display, and a team effort to bring a paralyzed man to the feet of Jesus.
Today we are going to take a few minutes and look at the classic passage from 1 Corinthians 13, often called the love chapter.
We find a definition of love, but even more than a definition God issues to each of us the high calling of leading and living with love. That is we are to love with a love that brings out the best in everyone around us.
We are called to live with Biblical Love; this love is necessary, this love builds up others and this love is perfectly demonstrated for us in Jesus.
Instead of asking about success perhaps we are to strive to live with excellence: Today we encounter a passage of scripture about Peter at a moment when he was not very successful, but he lived with excellence and that excellence transformed his life and his relationship with God. In turn, our text today offers us four keys on how to live with excellence, especially in our relationship with God. We can capture those keys with four words: Hearing, Obeying, Understanding and Answering.
We learn from this story that If you want satisfaction in life you must recognize God’s authority over you. How do we live under God’s authority? If I am going to recognize the authority of God over my life I need; to be honest my condition, to surrender my pride and live with the expectation that God is good, powerful and loving. When I am able to put these three ideas into practice I am able to experience the best life has to offer.
We often ask the wrong questions when we encounter the Bible. Perhaps it is better to say we ask good questions but we let our questions crowd out God’s voice. Perhaps while we ask those questions we need to make sure we are asking with increasing diligence, "Lord, what word do you have for me?"
You can face temptation by saying “Yes”. Today We are going to read the story of Jesus facing temptation in the wilderness. In this story we learn much about Jesus, but we also get an important tool for dealing with temptation. You can say no to temptation by saying yes to God.
What God says about our name is what matters the most. His declaration is true, powerful and more enduring than anything we will ever face in life.
Will you let Jesus light your life, so you can see clearly, put order to chaos and be filled with life?
I want to invite you to receive the hope of heaven, God has appeared, God has saved, that we could be restored to his family and have eternal life.
Today I invite you to rest in the peace of Christ. To rest in the peace of Jesus you have to be willing to set aside the shadows of peace, forgiveness and goodness that this world tires to offer. Left to our own devices we produce mere imitations of the real thing. Do not settle for anything less than the true peace of Jesus. That peace comes through the gift of himself for us and his grace.
Life is hard, it can be painful. The sin we deal with can feel like a mountain weighing down on us. The disappointments we face can be heart breaking, but Isaiah says, “Comfort, comfort my people.”
If we want to be filled with joy, and experience the best that God has for us, we too need to prepare the path of our hearts.
Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, when life seems to unravel you can find unshakable hope in Jesus.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your answer means the difference between frustration with life and hope filled eternal life.
Today we have a startling Bible text, we could let some of its words shake us, but instead I want you to be encouraged, yes there is a startling warning about what happens to those who falter in their faith, but there is also encouragement for us who push through the challenges we encounter.
The hands of God both caution and encourage us to live and finish the Christian life well.
Today we have two simple stories, one about an over confident scribe and the other about an all most unnoticed widow.
Jesus warns us, be careful how you seek significance and assign significance; if we are not careful we can chase a sense of success and worth that feels very potent and immediate but is ultimately hollow, but there is a way that is available to every one of us no matter how unsure or insignificant we might feel.
But to walk this way we must be honest about ourselves.
Today I want to take a few minutes to look at Jesus’ answer to the question; “Which commandment is the greatest. He is being asked about his priorities in following God’s law. In answer, Jesus declares we are to love God and love our neighbor and this declaration demands our honesty about our priorities. Our priorities reveal whether or not we live in God’s kingdom.
God is in the heart restoration business, he desires to give you a new spiritually healthy heart, he does this first through Jesus and then continues to breath life into our hearts through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
God wants us to see who we really are and to do this we must be honest about the connection between our tongue and our heart. The tongue reveals the heart and what we find in the heart is a need for the grace of Jesus.
God both warns us and encourages us in how we use words, we need to respect there power, use them to guide others well and be every wary of the destructive power of our words.
James is calling you and me away from insignificance, ineffectiveness and lifelessness into vibrant life that comes through the transformational power of God.
James warns us to avoid stagnation which comes from deception and into true life that results from encountering God through his word through listening and doing.
Every Christian is called by God to embody humility. In humbleness we find access to eternal life and through humbleness we can bring our loved ones to the threshold of redemption.
You and I cannot encounter the righteousness of God as long as we are trying to produce righteousness on our own, so beware.
Trials are often anything but joyful, but the Christian is called to approach trials with joy, letting the power of Christ redeem trials by bringing forth steadfastness and maturity inthe believers’ life. In short, the Christian responds to trials with joy over the eternal reward wrought when faith endures through hardship.
Blessed are those invited to the marriage banquet of the Lamb, for God reigns and saves; so we respond with readiness, and anticipation in our worship. Today, no matter what you are facing, you can be strengthened by the anticipation of heaven and the reigning power of God.
God’s great banquet is a wonderful celebration. At that banquet the Son will be honored, every guest is unworthy to sit at the table. That unworthiness might make us uncomfortable but the wonder of this truth is that every guest is at the table at the King’s pleasure. That is mercy.
God wants his banquet table to be full. He has space for everyone, if you feel like there is not a place for you at God’s banquet table, there is, but there is also a warning, do not take for granted your invitation to God’s table.
God has great and wonderful promises for his people, he has promised to restore us from sin into salvation, from struggle into lavishness, from shame into glory, from death’s prisoner to death defeated.
Today we have a very direct story with fierce rewards and consequences. Be ready or you will be shut out. The question I have for you today is a simple one, are you ready for the return of Jesus? Its not hard to be ready. First Jesus needs to be received as your Lord and savior and then you need to follow him as his disciple.
Luke 10 deals with keeping cultural obligations. A story of two sisters, one who sits at Jesus’ feet, Mary, and the other sister who is busy trying to get everything just right for such an important visitor as Jesus. Her name is Martha. In her efforts to do what is expected of her, she has become miserable. She even gets angry at her esteemed guest, Jesus.
She has become a prisoner to obligations and expectations. Perhaps you feel this way. Your list of must do chores and need to do activities has become a heavy weight. It drains you instead of giving you life.
We do not have to be prisoners to such burdens, choosing Jesus sets you free to experience and enjoy the best of life.
True relief, true life and true wholeness are found in Jesus alone and given from Jesus alone. What kind of relief? Relief as refreshing as ice cold water on a hot day. Relief as uplifting as laughter with a friend. Relief as unburdening as when someone joins you turning a task that seemed impossible into a new accomplishment that you can be proud of.
We can find that sort of relief in Jesus.
Will you come to Jesus to find relief for your soul?
Jesus cares about you, you specifically and you are worth the effort and battle to Jesus. Jesus desires to renew you setting you free from whatever possesses you and filling you with real life.
The Christian is called to influence those around them by living for Christ instead of for themselves, by embracing their identities as new creations and letting go of the old and by being an ambassador for God instead a judge in God’s place.
A few weeks ago we began talking about the spiritual discipline of solitude. This week I want to share one of my favorite bible stories and it involves solitude. In this story God uses solitude to reset, reorient and redeem the heart and mission of the prophet Elijah.
The practice of solitude is not about being alone but being with the Lord and enjoying his presence. God wants you to draw near him and solitude is one way we can allow this to happen
Today I want you to hear loud and clear: You are God’s joy and he invites you to join in the celebration.
Its more important to be a neighbor than to know who your neighbor is. When we declare I am your neighbor, it takes out all the guess work over whether a person you encounter is your neighbor. Jesus is asking us to make the first move. We are to lead the way with mercy, kindness and sacrifice.
We each inherit a heritage, good or bad and pass on a heritage good or bad. I want you to hear today that you can inherit a spiritual heritage that is a treasure. A jewel and a joy and that the Christian has the responsibility of passing that spiritual heritage onto the people in their lives.
Christian, you are no orphan, you are not left alone to navigate the troubles of this world on your own. God has pursued you and desires you to flourish in his kingdom. Know that God has provided abundantly for the Christian to thrive in life.
Over this week and next we are looking at the importance of being resilient Christians and what it is that makes a Christian resilient. We all want better lives and resilience helps us through difficult times to better days. Last week we defined resilience and explored its importance. This week I want us to look at what it means to have resilient Christianity. Resilience in life will find its best strength in a resilient Christianity. I want us to begin to wrestle how to grow resilient, bomb proof Christianity. This week and next we will look at three keys, faith, accountability and obedience.
Over the next few weeks we are looking at the importance of being resilient Christians and what it is that makes a Christian resilient. We all want better lives and resilience helps us through difficult times to better days. This is doubly so for the Christian as we look forward to the best days that are found in the promise of heaven.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ makes the irreversible, reversible. Damage can be undone, the unforgivable can be forgiven, new life can bloom out of hopelessness. But we have to let resurrection do its work. As humans we have a habit of feeling the finality of our circumstances. Even the best of Christians can let the word “irreversible” win.
Today marks the first Sunday of us returning to a unified worship service all together. I know there are still some who are not able to be with us, but it is good to be together as much as we are able. Today we read about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, it is a story of expectations, but it is a story where we are asked to meet God’s expectations.
Today the message is about the practice of communion. The more we dig into this practice we will find that it is an act of worship that unites the Church and calls each person in the Church to proclaim the power of Christ.
Today we are finishing our two part series on biblical friendship. Last week we looked at what the Bible had to say about friendship, this week I want to direct your attention to a series of qualities that I want to call friendship builders, friendship breakers and friendship bunkers. These are biblical qualities that can make or break your friendships.
Over this week and next we are going to be digging into the topic of friendship and what the Bible has to say about healthy friendships. We will look at how the Bible defines friendships and then a series of qualities that I want to call Friendship Builders, Friendship breakers and Friendship bunkers.
Jesus lays out three requirements to succeed as a disciple; deny yourself, bear the cross and follow Jesus. These are not easy, but Jesus only asks of us what he has already done himself.
Today we look at 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. What are we to do in the dark world we live in today? Do we join the darkness? Do we give up? Each of us are invited to the light of Christ and to shine the light of Christ into the darkness.
Today’s message is part three of a three message series looking at portraits of Jesus in the book of Revelation. The title is “Jesus Our Champion” from Revelation 19:11-16. These portraits are meaningful to all Christians in times of distress revealing and reminding us of Jesus our Protector, Jesus Worthy Lamb and Finally Jesus our Champion.
Today’s message title is, “Jesus Among the Lampstands” and is the beginning of a three week series where we look at three portraits of Jesus from the book of Revelation. These portraits are meaningful to all Christians in times of distress revealing and reminding us of Jesus our Protector, Jesus Worthy Lamb and Finally Jesus the Warrior King.
Today’s message title is, “What Prayer Asks of Us. . . ” and the text is from Matthew 6:5-15 as we let God’s word instruct us and set the priorities of our prayers.
Many of us are looking for answers after the events in Washington on January 6, 2021. I cannot explain why, but I can say that this week has served as a reminder to the potency of sin and how much each one of us needs the forgiveness of Jesus.
Today I want to ask you to put aside your greeting card memories of the wisemen in the Christmas story and hear in their story that in Jesus kingdom there is a place for everyone, even the most unlikely of people, the three wisemen teach us a lesson in worship that is dangerous, sacrificial and regal. We need to learn to worship like theses wisemen.
God takes joy in watching our lives take shape, seeing us move from shapeless lumps spinning into beautiful, purpose filled people. But there is a catch. While God is the potter, he has given us a voice and a choice. We can be shaped according to God's plan or our own plan or even by the plans of others.
In John 1:14 we find a profound verse of the Bible that describes Jesus, the Word, taking on flesh and coming near to us. Each word is bursting with meaning, but tonight we need to look at two words; flesh and dwell. In those two words we find the power and goal of salvation. Because Jesus took on flesh, human form, we can be redeemed and we can dwell in God's presence. The distance between us and God is not so lonely, dark and so we can rejoice.
Today’s text is from Luke 1:26-38 where Mary encounters the news that she will give birth to the Messiah, the title of the message is “Unexpected.” This story of full of earthly expectations but then God interrupts with something new and unexpected. The wonder of Christmas is that the arrival of Jesus invites us to leave behind our own earthly expectations and realities. If we are willing to leave them behind we get to experience God’s reality and expectations. When we find this we can experience a new identity and sense of fulfillment.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 As we close our time in 1 Thessalonians, we are being asked to respond to this letter. Can we say amen, can we say “Ah yes, I agree!” Specifically today we are being asked to say yes to God working out sanctification in us and living in unity as the body of Christ. When we say yes to the power of God working in our life the trials of life are better faced and overcome.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 give us eight keys for welcoming God's peace. To the extent that you and I follow these keys we make room for God's peace in our lives. However I need to warn you, if you do the opposite of these keys you will invite into your life discord and chaos, they will push God's peace out of your life.
Our text today is from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 and the sermon title is Respect. Paul calls the Thessalonians to respect and care for each other. Paul’s commands might sound like fair advice, but this teaching is only possible and only beneficial when the Christian and the Church keep focused on the goal of standing blameless before God.
Jesus is coming back, not as a baby, not as the messiah on the cross, but as the Judge of all people, we do not know when Jesus is coming back but we are to be ready. Are you ready? How would you feel if Jesus showed up right now as your judge?
It is all too easy for the Christian to react to death, grief and hope in the same way as a non-Christian, but we are to be different, because we follow Jesus who has conquered death thereby rewriting grief and securing for the Christian true hope.
A note on sound quality, I unknowingly kept bumping the mic wire, this got picked up as clicking in the recording. Also more traffic noise than normal leaked into the recording. My apologies.
Humanity’s chief goal is to take pleasure in life. But this is misguided. Our goal is to please God. We would do well to remember this. The more stress and uncertainty we face the harder this is to remember. Here we are Sunday November 1, just a few days before a huge election, deep into a year that has turned all our lives on end, I think we need a reminder of our purpose and where we will really find wholeness, health, peace and pleasure. Our purpose is this: The chief aim of every person, you and me, is to please God, this is done by living a holy life.
In a world full of disappointment and adversaries the Christian is called to bless and encourage those around them. Resolve this day to bless and encourage others, celebrate their victories and shoulder their struggles. Church we are together in this, we cannot afford to look out only for ourselves.
The Bible is very clear that the devil is real and actively working against the Christian. The Bible is also clear that the Christian has all the tools needed to face spiritual battles and win. So, Know that the enemy is real and that Jesus has given you all you need to be victorious over the attacks of the enemy
If you want to break through the hardening hearts of those around you, you must reach out with Godly gentleness, this gentleness is strength under control or better put, refusing to play by this worlds rules, ways and methods and instead living by the rules, ways and methods of Jesus.
Gentleness and boldness are two sides of the same coin when it comes to a trustworthy Christian witness. Too often gentleness is viewed as mild and powerless. It is not. Boldness is often lived out with more dominance and aggression than substance. Boldness is our focus this week, we will examine gentleness next week. Bold and trustworthy voices are those who; are approved by God, take seriously the gospel entrusted to them, seek to please God alone and let God test their hearts.
In a world that encourages on demand living waiting for Jesus feels unnatural but when we wait on the Lord we are declaring that God’s provision, providence and purpose are better than our own.
Our children see how we respond to disappointment, losing, winning, not getting our way and how we respond to fear. Children see you at your proudest moments of accomplishment and your lowest moments of failure and they imitate how you react. But it's not just children who watch and learn and grow, we all do. We all imitate. Imitation is important, we need to be intentional about who we imitate. I suspect some of us without even knowing it or thinking about it too much imitate those who our society values without asking the question, Are my examples truly of God? We can imitate ourselves into a rotten life or we can imitate into the very best life. As long as you and I are alive, we are growing. If you want to grow well, imitate Christ. If you want the best for those around you show them Christ in you.
Note: Sorry there is static during the first 2 and a half minutes. It clears up after that I was holding an object near the mic and I think it interfered.
Real. Reality. Truth. That is what we need if we are going to live effectively under the pressure of our times and if we are going to be successful at a Gentle Gospel Ministry.
If you want to experience real faith: build your faith on a foundation of truth and then put that truth into action.
You can live a renewed life when you perceive and receive the mercy of God and respond by presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice to God.
If you want to answer fear and uncertainty . . . If you desire discernment and purpose . . . If you want to navigate the tough days you face . . . You need to be able to answer these two questions: Who is the Rock your life is built on? Who have you given permission to build on that Rock? The answer is simple, Jesus.
The way we react to the words and actions of others matters. When we face a person whose actions or words hurt us or anger us, our response is critical. Our reaction to the hurt says more about ourselves than hurtful words and actions reveal about others. This is because our response reveals our character, our maturity, our willingness to receive truth or our ability to brush off offense with dignity and grace.
Why does God test us? God tests us so we can see and understand ourselves clearly, that we may respond to God rightly. So on the verge of producing a stadium sized miracle, one that is reported in all four gospels, Jesus takes the opportunity to put his disciples and us to the test. From this test Jesus desires us to know that he is the bread of life, to trust in his provision and to act confidently under his authority and join with him in feeding the crowd.
Will you hear this word of God and know that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. It is one thing to feel good about your faith. It is one thing to hear these words and say, "okay this is true." It is another that when life gets hard, you feel tired that the heat turns up and you still say, "God is for me and nothing can separate me from the love of Jesus. "
This parable is about repentance. It is not a parable strictly about obedience but instead of our position our facing towards God. You can do all of the right things and have a rotten attitude, you can say all the right things and fail to act. Jesus is calling each of us to change our mind about who we are and how we follow God. I forgot to add my usual benediction so please, "Go With Jesus."
Jesus is telling us that some of us are more receptive than others, and I would propose that each one of us at different times in our lives are more or less receptive to the word of the kingdom. But here is the rub, I have always heard in this story a message about realizing which of the four soils I am or you are and then figuring how to transform into the fourth soil which is the good soil, receptive. If you listen carefully to what I just said you will hear that I have read into this parable about what effort I must do to adequately receive the word of God. Jesus is pointing out that we need to be receptive to the word, but he does not put the work in our hands, only the willingness to receive.
Today we have a psalm in which David declares the importance of having a life that worships God and remembers who God is. We are then called to make our own declaration that we will worship the Lord in every way possible and pass our remembrance of what God has done from one generation to the next.
To receive the best of life we must be willing to obey when Jesus commands us to “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” We must also be willing to endure trials by those who are offended by Jesus.
We are living in stressful times and I want to take a moment today to remind you to laugh. God, our Creator designed us to laugh. God wants us to laugh. When you are facing hard times, remember to laugh. Laughter is a blessing from God, laughter can bring relief to your soul and spill over into others.
God knows our predicament, far better than we do, he knows what we need, far better than we do, and he has administered the solution, far better than we ever could. This text promises us that if we have faith in Jesus, we can have peace with God. God also gives us a prescription for how we take the peace of God into our lives: Rejoice in the future promises as good as they are, and we are to rejoice in our present circumstances however difficult they may be.
Every time we see someone's discomfort we see their spiritual thirst. 2020 has taught us the whole world is thirsty. Jesus offers the only water that can cure our thirst. Church will you take this water to the world?
Injustice should break our hearts and fill our eyes with tears. Our nation cannot stay the same. We must be a better people. Will you let Jesus lead you to love your neighbor?
Today we look at "grace" which is unmerited favor and forgiveness. God is grace and he has given grace, himself, to us. 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us this, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. God's grace through Jesus, turns our deserved "no" into "yes." Have you received God's grace? Perhaps even more challenging, do you give grace to others? 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us this, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. God's grace through Jesus, turns our deserved "no" into "yes."
Today we look at a story of the disciples struggling in a storm on the sea of Galilee. Jesus is asleep in the boat and the disciples despair over their situation. This struggle in the storm revealed the faith of the disciples, they had placed faith in the boat and their abilities not in Jesus the Son of God. Have we truly put our faith in Jesus or have we put our faith somewhere else?
Today our Bible text rotates around three Characters; Jesus, Simon the Pharisee and an unnamed woman. We are being asked a question. Are we like the pharisee, unaware of our need for Jesus or are we like this unnamed woman, unashamedly aware of the forgiveness Jesus offers to us and deeply thankful for it? I suggest most of us are less like the unnamed woman and more like the Simon the pharisee than we would like to admit. Phariseeism is alive and well today, do not fall into it, instead respond to Jesus with courage, humility and gratitude.
Sometimes the stories of the Bible hit closer to home than we want them too. Today We look at a text that deals with grief and loss. Jesus answers this grief with compassion and restoration of life. For those of you who are struggling with grief I want to challenge you not to relive your grief during this sermon but to ask the Lord to do a new work in you today. I believe all of us are grieving right now, the pandemic has changed so much for so many of us. In this moment we might try many avenues to restore ourselves, but true restoration only comes through Jesus. Let Jesus bring restoration in your life.
Walk Like a Centurion, Luke 7:1-10. We are living in times where everyone's character is being tested and we find more than ever that character matters. The centurion in Luke 7 shows us how to live and walk with godly character. His character is shaped by his understanding of authority, his humility and his faith.
Jesus returns to his home town and shares the truth of who he is as messiah with them. How we receive truth and how we use truth is critically important. Used well it can lead to life, used as a weapon it becomes a destructive force.
Sermon for Easter Morning, April 12, 2020. Are you expectations lined up with God's plan?
A look at the life of Joseph and how he handles trouble and hardship that he did not ask for.
How should the Christian respond during crisis, in this case the corona virus. This is the sermon from March 15, 2020 delivered by Josh Walker at Valleyview Friends Church in Delaware, OH.